Lily plant named ‘Tiny Rocket’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Lily plant named ‘Tiny Rocket’, characterized by its compact and upright plant habit; vigorous growth habit; densely-foliated habit; freely flowering habit; upright flower buds and flowers; dark greyed purple to greyed red-colored flowers; and good postproduction longevity.

Botanical designation: Lilium hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘TINY ROCKET’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lily plant, commercially known as Oriental Hybrid Lily, botanically known as Lilium hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Tiny Rocket’.

The new Oriental Hybrid Lily plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in 't Zand, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new potted Oriental Hybrid Lily plants with erect flowers, attractive flower coloration and good postproduction longevity.

The new Oriental Hybrid Lily plant originated from a cross-pollination in 2001 of two different unnamed proprietary seedling selections of Lilium hybrida, not patented. The new Oriental Hybrid Lily plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the resultant progeny of the cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in 't Zand, The Netherlands in May, 2004.

Asexual reproduction of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily plant by bulb scales in a controlled greenhouse environment in 't Zand, The Netherlands since November, 2004 has shown that the unique features of this new Oriental Hybrid Lily plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Tiny Rocket’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Tiny Rocket’ as a new and distinct Oriental Hybrid Lily plant:

-   -   1. Compact and upright plant habit.     -   2. Vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Densely-foliated habit.     -   4. Freely flowering habit.     -   5. Upright flower buds and flowers.     -   6. Dark greyed purple to greyed red-colored flowers.     -   7. Good postproduction longevity.

Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily differ primarily from plants of the female parent seedling selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily have smaller flowers         than plants of the female parent seedling selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily are more freely         flowering than plants of the female parent seedling selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily and the female parent         seedling selection differ slightly in flower color.

Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily differ primarily from plants of the male parent seedling selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily are more compact than         plants of the male parent seedling selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily have smaller leaves         than plants of the male parent seedling selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily and the male parent         seedling selection differ slightly in flower color.

Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily can be compared to plants of Oriental Hybrid Lily ‘Tiny Hope’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,239. Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily differ from plants of ‘Tiny Hope’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily are more compact than         plants of ‘Tiny Hope’.     -   2. Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily have smaller leaves         than plants of ‘Tiny Hope’.     -   3. Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily have smaller flowers         than plants of ‘Tiny Hope’.     -   4. Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily and ‘Tiny Hope’ differ         slightly in flower color.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Tiny Rocket’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants that were grown during the spring in ground beds and 15-cm containers in a glass-covered greenhouse in 't Zand, The Netherlands and under cultural conditions typically used in Oriental Hybrid Lily production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 15° C., night temperatures averaged 18° C. and light levels averaged 6,000 lux. Measurements and numerical values represent averages for typical flowering plants. Plants were 60 days old when the photograph and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Lilium hybrida ‘Tiny Rocket’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Unnamed proprietary seedling             selection of Lilium hybrida, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unnamed proprietary seedling             selection of Lilium hybrida, not patented. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form and growth habit.—Upright flowering plant; single             erect flowering stem with a terminal cluster of flowers;             compact and dense plant habit; vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of flowers.—About 35 cm.         -   Plant diameter, or spread.—About 20 cm.         -   Plant circumference.—About 64 cm.         -   Bulbs.—Diameter: About 10 cm to 20 cm. Texture: Smooth.             Color: Close to 155D.         -   Flowering stems.—Diameter: About 8 mm. Internode length:             About 2 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous.             Color: Close to 143A.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement and quantity: Alternate; simple;             sessile; about 94 leaves develop per plant. Length, upper             leaves: About 8.5 cm. Width, upper leaves: About 1.8 cm.             Length, lower leaves: About 10.5 cm. Width, lower leaves:             About 2.6 cm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base:             Decurrent. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Glabrous, smooth; leathery. Venation pattern:             Parallel. Color: Developing and fully expanded leaves, upper             surface: Close to 147A; venation, close to 147A. Developing             and fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 146B;             venation, close to 146B. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower shape and aspect.—Flowers umbellate or funnel-shaped;             when fully opened, flowers flatten and tepals recurve             towards the apex; flower buds face upright and flowers face             upright to slightly outwardly.         -   Flowering habit.—Freely flowering habit, large bulbs will             produce eight to ten flowers per flowering stem.         -   Fragrance.—Slightly fragrant.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants flower in June and July in             The Netherlands; plants can be flowered year-round in the             greenhouse and forced to bloom about 55 days after planting             bulbs.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Good postproduction longevity,             flowers last about 10 to 14 days on the plant; tepals not             persistent; gynoecium persistent.         -   Flower buds.—Length: About 8.5 cm. Diameter: About 3 cm.             Circumference: About 9 cm. Shape: Lanceolate. Color: Close             to 143A and 180A; sutures, close to 143A.         -   Flower size.—Diameter: About 13 cm. Length (height): About 8             cm.         -   Perianth.—Quantity and arrangement: Six tepals per flower             arranged in two whorls; tepals imbricate. Tepal length,             inner tepals: About 9 cm. Tepal width, inner tepals: About             5 cm. Tepal length, outer tepals: About 9 cm. Tepal width,             outer tepals: About 4 cm. Tepal shape: Lanceolate. Tepal             apex: Acute. Tepal margin: Entire. Tepal texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Tepal color: When opening             and fully opened, upper surface: Close to 185A; towards the             base, close to 183A; spots, close to 187A; color towards the             apex becoming closer to 35A with development. When opening             and fully opened, lower surface: Close to 46A.         -   Pedicels.—Angle: About 45° to 70° from vertical. Strength:             Strong. Length: About 4.5 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Texture:             Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 143B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: Six.             Filament length: About 5.8 cm. Filament color: Close to 170D             and 179A. Anther length: About 1.4 cm. Anther color: Close             to 173B. Pollen color: Close to 172C. Pistils: Quantity per             flower: One. Style length: About 4.7 cm. Style color: Close             to 170D and 179A. Stigma diameter: About 3 mm. Stigma shape:             Lobed. Stigma color: Close to 79A.         -   Fruits.—Length: About 2 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Color:             Close to 144C.         -   Seeds.—No viable seeds have been observed on plants of the             new Oriental Hybrid Lily plant. -   Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common     to Oriental Hybrid Lilies has not been observed on plants of the new     Oriental Hybrid Lily. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Oriental Hybrid Lily have     exhibited good tolerance to rain and wind and have been observed to     tolerate temperatures from about −2° C. to about 40° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Lily plant named ‘Tiny Rocket’ as illustrated and described. 